Ethiopia is making it easier for African travelers to visit their country thanks to a new policy that just went into effect on November 1, 2018.

All African travelers will be able to enjoy the benefits of a visa-on-arrival service when they land in Ethiopia.

This new service was launched at a ceremony at the headquarters of the African Union Commission. The African Union Commission Chairperson, Ethiopian high government officials, African Ambassadors, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines group, media, and other invited guests were in attendance.

Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, Ethiopian Group CEO, spoke at the ceremony saying, “It is truly an honor and a special privilege to witness this historical and truly inspirational day. Ethiopian Airlines has been bringing Africa together and closer to the world for over 7 decades. Today, Ethiopian flies to 60 African destinations and connects the continent to over 50 major international cities in 5 continents.”

“Visa on arrival for fellow African brothers and sisters and more importantly, visa online will greatly boost cross-border tourism, trade and investment, further deepening African integration.”

Earlier this year in June, Ethiopia launched a new e-Visa service that allows travelers from all countries to apply for a tourist visa online and receive it via an email. They can submit documents and pay the visa fee online which streamlines the process for travelers entering the country and reduces waits in lines.

The e-visa service for international travelers combined with the visa-on-arrival service for all Africans is expected to make travel to and through Ethiopia much easier and boost tourism numbers.